Health

Study: Deadly Fungi to Spread Globally as Climate Warms

Published MAY 27 2025

Story

Above: Microscopic image of Aspergillus flavus. Image credit: BSIP/Contributor/UIG Via Getty Images

The Facts

Computer simulations conducted by scientists at Manchester University predict that Aspergillus fungi — the cause of aspergillosis lung disease — will expand into new regions of North America, Europe, China, and Russia as global temperatures rise. The study is currently under peer review.
Research Square
CNN
AS USA
According to the study, Aspergillus flavus could increase its spread by 16% under high-emission scenarios, while Aspergillus fumigatus is projected to shift northward and grow its range by 77.5% by 2100. This could put 9 million additional people at risk in Europe alone.
CNN
Firstpost
Tribune Online
Fungal infections kill an estimated 2.5 million people annually worldwide, with aspergillosis having mortality rates between 20% and 40%, though the actual death toll could be higher due to underreporting and diagnostic challenges.
CNN
Tribune Online
ISID
The World Health Organization added Aspergillus flavus to its critical group of fungal pathogens in 2022 due to its public health impact, risk of antifungal resistance, and ability to infect food crops, thereby threatening food security.
Firstpost
Tribune Online
CNN
People with compromised immune systems — such as cancer patients, transplant recipients, and those with asthma, cystic fibrosis, or COPD — are at highest risk from aspergillosis. If the body can't clear the spores, one researcher explained, the fungus can essentially "eat you from the inside out."
CNN
NDTV
Tribune Online
Justin Remais from UC Berkeley identified more than 20,000 aspergillosis cases in the United States between 2013 and 2023, with case numbers increasing approximately 5% annually, while only four classes of antifungal medicines remain available for treatment.
CNN
Tribune Online
FOX News

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

This research is a wake-up call. Climate change isn't just melting ice caps — it's creating the perfect conditions for spreading deadly fungal diseases like aspergillosis; airborne, hard to detect, increasingly drug-resistant, and already killing hundreds of thousands each year. Though mortality rates are up to 40%, fungi still remain far less studied than viruses or parasites, and most doctors struggle to diagnose these infections.

The Daily Star

ISID

Narrative B

While the risks of fungal diseases like aspergillosis are real, alarmist comparisons to COVID-19 ignore key uncertainties. The Manchester study is still under peer review, and experts stress that fungal behavior under climate change is poorly understood. Most healthy people aren't at risk and warming could even reduce fungal survival in some areas. Instead of panicking over worst-case scenarios, we need targeted research and better diagnostics to close knowledge gaps.

Research Square

Independent